Paul Adler, professor of management and organization at USC Marshall, recently won the 2012 Academy of Management Review Decade Award for his research paper, "Social Capital; Prospects for a New Concept."

Social capital – the potential value of your social ties – has been a hot topic in the social sciences over the past decade. Adler and Seok-Woo Kwon, at the time a Marshall doctoral student and now a professor at Temple University, began working on the article in 1998 after noticing the emergence of research on social capital in management studies, sociology, political science, developmental economics and other fields. Published four years later, "Social Capital" has become a cornerstone for a burgeoning body of research, accumulating more citations than any other article published in 2002 in the Academy of Management Review, which is itself the most cited journal in the management field.

"It’s a wonderful honor that so many of our colleagues have found our work useful enough to cite," Adler said.

Adler and Kwon were recognized for this honor at the Academy of Management’s annual meeting in Boston this month.

About the USC Marshall School of BusinessConsistently ranked among the nation's premier schools, USC Marshall is internationally recognized for its emphasis on entrepreneurship and innovation, social responsibility and path-breaking research. Located in the heart of Los Angeles, one of the world's leading business centers and the U.S. gateway to the Pacific Rim, Marshall offers its 5,700-plus undergraduate and graduate students a unique world view and impressive global experiential opportunities. With an alumni community spanning 123 countries, USC Marshall students join a worldwide community of thought leaders who are redefining the way business works.